Plagiarism Online

Via Glenn Reynolds, I'm seeing this piece from last summer on classroom plagiarism. I'm pretty sure I saw it at the time, but didn't write about it. Now though I'm almost finished grading fall papers, and I've found three students plagiarizing with direct cut-and-paste from web articles. Check the comments at "Adjunct Law Prof Blog." One suggests "it's a losing battle," but only if professors give up the fight. Obviously most students don't write nearly as well as a New York Times correspondent (or a Wikipedia editor for that matter), and if I sometimes find, while reading through a student summary, inconsistent styling from one passage to the next (often pretty blatant), I just type in the text at Google and up pops the original article. Still, while one of my students literally swiped entire paragraphs (on some California ballot initiatives from Ballotpedia), it's not as common as one might expect. I'm always pleasantly surprised this time of year to find a large batch of students who are very good writers. It's poor students who're tempted to cheat, at least at my college. They simply can't write that well, even two or three paragraphs at a time. It's quite frustrating as a teacher. Some kids come from immigrant homes, including many Latinos, and the schools haven't always picked up where families have left off. It's kinda sad sometimes, but not uncommon. And these kids are in the workforce and often starting their own families. Things will get worse before they get better. Schools are stretched thin at all levels, and to the extent that administration and faculty discuss challenges on campus, it's usually over budgets and contract negotiations. Amazing sometimes how the education of the students, the reason all of this exists to begin with, is filed away as an afterthought. I'm not going to overstate the case, but it's a problem. And there aren't any Chris Christies around to help restore priorities. Teachers are on the front lines, and they gotta keep pushing, looking out for the kids as best they can. That's all you can do sometimes, besides holding on to a bit of sanity.

Schwarzenegger Going Out With Barrels Blazing as Tenure Winds Down

At LAT, "Making Some Scenes Before His Exit":

It doesn't seem to bother Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that many Californians would prefer he just fade away.

Instead, with his days in office numbered and the limelight shifting to his newly elected successor, the former film star seems to be doing everything he can to keep the spotlight on himself.

He's made news jousting with Sarah Palin on Twitter. He settled into the big chair on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to brag about signing a law downgrading smoking pot to the seriousness of a traffic ticket. And he's apparently abandoned political correctness, dropping a raw if colorful reference to male anatomy into an official condolence statement on the death of a Hollywood luminary.

Those who have tuned out Schwarzenegger in the sunset of his administration risk missing a good show. The governor's penchant for shooting from the hip has always been entertaining. Now he seems determined to go out with a blast or two, trying to make news with his mischief.

Schwarzenegger has made it clear he intends to be a presence until his very last day in office. "I don't buy into the lame-duck thing," he said recently.

A couple related videos below, from Arnold's pot-smoking body-building days. He'll be back. Look for some new Schwarzenegger movies in the not too distant future. The dude's ineligible for the White House. And he's not ready to be put out to pasture quite yet.

We Don't Need More Leaders: Social Networking and the Public Square

Interesting piece from NYT, "The Public Square Goes Mobile."

“We don’t need more leaders. We need more followers. Wherever & however you can enter public life is ok.”



That tweet by Carol Coletta, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, is a radical provocation in our age of the non-expert. The nation is gripped by the fantasy that the least-qualified, least-experienced among us make ideal leaders. Dissatisfaction — no, real anger — with the status quo, as opposed to informed ideas or policy experience, seems to define qualifications for public service.

Coletta's Twitter page is here.

It Worked! Jennifer Aniston Purple Bikini Shots Almost as Good as Anne Hathaway Topless!

Yep.

I tweeted my Jennifer Aniston post to Robert, and he linked with, "World Shocked by the Alarming Urgency of Jennifer Aniston Mexico Bikini Pictures."

And not kidding about Anne Hathaway. Folks can click through at WeSmirch. (And there's something of interest over there for the ladies, but you'll have to read the entry at Egotastic.)

Lee Meriwether on Twitter!

Immediately recognizable, she was Catwoman in the film version of Batman (1966). And she's following me. I hadn't considered posting this otherwise, LOL!

Hottest Women in the World!

Maybe even too hot for the front page here, so check Theo's.

Jennifer Aniston Mexico Bikini Pics!

Just got the tip at WeSmirch, and I'm trying to avoid "Holiday Traffic Suckage Season," so what the heck?

Besides, I'm not getting too many reciprocal links from that last epic round of Rule 5 linkage. (And Glenn Reynolds hasn't linked.) So what can you do?

See London's Daily Mail, "Jennifer Aniston recycles her favourite bikini on girls holiday to Mexico with Chelsea Handler," and RadarOnline, "PHOTOS: Bikini Girls Jennifer Aniston & Chelsea Handler Enjoy Thanksgiving Sunshine in Mexico."

And the main story's at UsWeekly, "Jennifer Aniston, Chelsea Handler Flaunt Bikini Bods in Mexico."

Let's see if Bob Belvedere can dig that, and Washington Rebel as well.

And I haven't linked Pat Austin in some time, so check out her great holiday blogging.